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Your rent explained

When you pay your rent, the money is put into the Council's Housing Revenue Account. This moneypays for the housing services we offer you. It also covers things like the Council’s borrowing costs for major repairs to properties. Every March, we write to you to tell you how much your rent and service charge (if applicable) will be for the year ahead. Before we do, the Council consults council tenants about the amount of rent they will be charged from April.

How we work out your rent

Haringey Council's housing rents are calculated in accordance with government guidance whereby local authorities use the same standard formula to work out the rents. The formula is based partly on the size and market value of the property and partly on the level of local earnings.

Following changes made by the government on how rents are calculated, the rent element has been reduced for most tenants by 1% of the rent they were paying on 8 July 2015. For some supported tenants, the rent element will not change this year. Changes to other charges are based on the amount of money spent on those services in the preceding year.

What service charges are included?

Tenants also pay service charges for specific services provided to their building or their estate. Service charges are set at a level that ensures the costs of these services are recovered - the Council does not make any profit from them. These service charges include:

Concierge services

Grounds maintenance

Communal lighting

Digital TV aerial

Street sweeping

Estate road maintenance

Bin and chute cleaning

Service charges are set to cover the estimated cost of providing services and are only charged where you receive the service. A separate charge is also made for the water rates which Homes for Haringey collects on behalf of Thames Water.

Some service charges have increased because the costs of providing the services have gone up. Equally, service charges are reduced where the cost of providing the service is expected to reduce. For example, the Council is proposing to reduce heating charges because gas prices are expected to reduce.

Will the increase be covered by Housing Benefit?

Rent and service charge increases may not necessarily be covered by housing benefit or Universal Credit (if you apply for help with housing from 14 March 2016). This will depend on your personal circumstances.

You may already be aware that the Government introduced a cap on the total amount of benefit available to working age people. Currently, the maximum amount of state benefits you can receive (including help with housing) is £296.35 a week, if you are a single person and £442.31 a week for single parents and couples with or without children.

Also, Housing Benefit is calculated based on how many bedrooms you need rather than how many bedrooms you actually have in your council home. This means that if you are under-occupying your home, or, put simply, if you have bedrooms that the Government thinks you don't need, your Housing Benefit (or Universal Credit) will be reduced.

You can apply for Housing Benefit whether you’re unemployed or working. To apply for Housing Benefit, complete Haringey Council’s “Help with your rent and council tax” form available at haringey.gov.uk. You can also call the Council’s Customer Services on 020 8489 1000 to request one. If you need help completing the form, visit your local Customer Service Centre.

When you apply for Housing Benefit, you will need to tell the Council and provide proof about your income, your savings, your rent and the income of other people who live with you. If your household situation changes this will affect your Housing Benefit. You must inform Haringey Council’s Benefits Service as soon as possible if your circumstances change or you may get less than you should. You can always check your rent account on See My Data.